Episode Summary:
In this episode of the podcast, we have an exciting guest - Barbie, Label Manager at Mr. 305 Records. Alex Quin will be speaking to Barbie about her journey as a music industry professional and how she has helped to shape the direction of the label over time.
Wisdom Nuggets:
- Opportunity can come at any time: Barbie shares her story of how she stumbled into the right place at the right time and managed to seize a great opportunity that landed her in the music industry. In whatever industry you are in, always be ready for the unexpected.
- Realize That Your Culture Is Your Essence: In the world of music, recognizing and staying true to the culture you come from is key. This does not mean that you limit yourself but rather that you use your culture as a platform to propel yourself forward.
- Be Self-Sufficient: Having a small team with a do-it-yourself attitude has helped Barbie and Mr 305 Records remain competitive in a world full of competition. Through hard work, dedication, and creative problem-solving, the label has been successful because of its self-sufficiency.
Podcast Outline:
Alex (00:37) You're listening to Hustle Inspires Hustle with Alex Quinn.
Alex: (01:55) Barbie is the label manager right at MR 3 0 5 Inc. Tell us a little bit about that. What's going on with that?
Barbie: (02:02) I currently started like about two years and a half now. Mm-hmm. On Mr 305 records. I started as a project manager.
Barbie: (02:22) Even though I've been in the entertainment industry for over 10 years, you know, I was never in the label industry. Mm-hmm. So I was learning a lot of things, but I'm a fast learner.
Barbie: (02:34) Everything went well. And then, within the six-month period, I started getting more involved in all of the products that we signed.
Barbie: (03:15) When I was little, you know, I was really into music. Like, I wanted to be a singer, but obviously, I don't like that lifestyle. Okay. And I don't wanna be an artist because they have a really tough lifestyle, nonstop. Always moving, always going.
Barbie: (03:58) I kind of wanted to end my career in that executive part of the music industry.
Alex: (04:03) You want to go through the process, like different steps and Exactly. Ultimately end up there.
Barbie: (04:06) Yeah. Okay. But the opportunity came much faster than I thought. So I'm only, you know, in my twenties, and I'm already label manager for this huge independent label.
Alex: (05:13) You know, you know what's interesting because, you know, right now, it's 2022. We're in December, 2022. It's about to be 2023. And over the last, let's say 2, 3, 4 years, maybe a little bit more, we've seen a lot of collaborations between the Spanish entertainment world and the American entertainment world.
Alex: (05:49) So all these collaborations go back sometime before Pit Bull was Mr. Worldwide; he was Mr 3 0 5 back.
Barbie: (05:55) That's how he started. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. He considers himself an Anglo, you know, artist. He's more on the English side of things. But he did realize that at an early age in his career, the Spanish community, his essence, his culture was his essence.
Alex: (06:30) The funny part is that, you know, pit Bull has always said crazy in his lyrics. Yeah. So, you know, before, people were a little bit more conservative with that stuff in music, and then you got like a pit bull dropping a song with Mark Anthony called Let Everyone Over Me.
Barbie: (08:12) The way that your mindset really creates your lifestyle and your future and the way, the thing that you do and the things that you say and the thing the way that you think really affects everything around.
Barbie: (08:26) So that's mainly like what gets me super excited and gets me happy and, and makes me wanna continue in this business, being able to work with people like that, you know?
Alex: (08:39) Like six months ago, you invited me over, and it was really cool to see, I had been there before with, I think it was Momo, and Bik Bina is part of the label, right?
Alex: (08:49) Yeah. So I've known her for some time and then that, that, that, that moment you, it kind of introduced me that you were working with Omar. And Omar is doing some incredible things now. He just had a single release with a very popular artist, young Miko.
Barbie: (09:09) It's so crazy to see because when I got hired at 3 0 5, as I said, I was just a project manager and the point of me coming in was to help Omar.
Barbie: (09:50) For his career. And to see it grow, it just not only motivates him, but it motivates me to know that I'm doing something right. It's part of your track record. It's part of your story.
Alex: (12:03) So talk, let's talk about business, right? Hustle. Inspires Hustle is a podcast that talks about business and some aspects. We talk about the marketing side of it because that's ultimately what I do. I own a marketing agency.
Alex: (12:17) It is a lot of responsibility to be a label manager, especially a label manager for such a big label. You know, you guys aren't just starting out. Yeah. You guys have a track record, and the people behind you have a big track record. How is that for you?
Barbie: (12:48) I feel like the most important part of this process for me has been being self-efficient. Mm-hmm. , you know, when you're in an independent label, it's not like you have a huge team.
Barbie: (13:20) Yeah, exactly. And I like learning a little bit about everything. Mm-hmm. . So for me being me, I know a lot of people cannot or do not like that type of responsibility.
Alex: (13:49) You're looking at everything from a positive side and being grateful for your opportunities.
Barbie: (13:53) Exactly. Yeah. There's always, you know when we sit at a table, we're talking about our project, there's always somebody who has a different opinion, you know?
Barbie: (15:06) And my goal right now is to build a team that is not only a team, that it's a family. Mm-hmm. And also build, build a brand like create MR 3 0 5. Not to not only be a label but to be a brand. Mm-hmm. , who is, you know, doing internship programs.
Barbie: (15:22) That's one of my goals. To have internship programs. Maybe by next year, have a bigger team, and have foundations. MR 3 0 5 Foundation. I was gonna ask you about that. Yeah. I'm glad you brought it up, but what else do I wanna do?
Barbie: (16:06) But I feel like in our situation, being an independent label, we really focus on helping our artists.
Alex: (18:06) Did radio for eight years, you said, right? This means that you were kind of like in the middle of the transition between radio streaming, CDs streaming. So you've been able to learn kind of like both sides of the business. You're a huge asset, then to the label.
Barbie: (18:24) Yeah, I was in the, well, more in the talent side of the music industry, you know mm-hmm. doing radio as an on-air personality.
Alex: (19:58) What do you listen to? What do you listen to?
Barbie: (19:59) Well, my favorite artists in the whole wide world since I was a kid like Manna and Santana.
Barbie: (20:24) So that's one of my favorite artists and my style of music that I listen to at home. I also listen to, like they say, elevator music in English.
Alex: (21:44) I like that you listen, that you listen to music outside of the genres that you’re working in. Cuz that's big.
Alex: (24:12) Crazy. Yeah. You're seeing artists from all over the world collab with each other. They don't understand what they're saying.
Barbie: (24:35) You know, going forward, trying to, we, we really focus on developing artists.
Barbie: (25:25) Publicity was something that I did for, for a little bit. I mean, throughout my whole career, I think I've done a little bit of everything. Even marketing. I have a, a marketing company called Be Digital Marketing was basically what drove me from the beginning as well.
Barbie: (25:46) Social media had just started. Instagram was really hot at that time with marketing your businesses. So I used to work with different restaurants and like different test styles of businesses that wanted to grow their following.
Barbie: (26:32) I've been through a lot of struggles in this industry, you know, but everything that I've learned throughout all these years have, you know, been useful for me today. Yeah. Now that I'm in this position where I need to wear many hats.
Alex: (27:00) It's a journey, and it's not always gonna be easy. Maybe you make it look easy cuz you know, things look nice online or when the projects launch.
Alex: (27:07) The cool thing is that, um, let's say you, let's, if we remove ourselves from music and entertainment, you are somebody that knows how to deal with the media.
Alex: (29:18) I thank you. I thank you for coming here today. I thank you for taking the time to meet with me. We're in the middle of December y'all, so it's a busy month for everybody.
Barbie: (29:32) No, thank you for having me. I love your podcast. I am somebody that, you know, believes in a lot of motivation and moving forward and always seeing the positive side of every situation.
Alex: (29:53) And I hope this isn't the last time that you come, um, of course not. I wanna revisit what you're doing next year cuz I, I'm really proud of the work that you've done.
Alex: (30:11) Guys, make sure you check out her socials. We set it at the beginning of the podcast Barbie, on air. Check her out. She's very active on social media.
Alex: (30:49) That's what Hustle Inspires Hustle is about. This podcast is about showcasing people who are doing incredible things and people who are sharing their stories, sharing tips, tricks, and all the untold stories of how they got to where they are today. We honor Barbie. We'll see you guys in the next episode. If you guys wanna see more information about Barbie, about myself, and the things that we talked about, go to hustle inspires hustle.com/podcast.
Power Quotes:
Barbie: (27:49) - “People need to learn that marketing is such an important tool no matter what you're doing.”
Alex: (13:49) - “Look at everything from a positive side and be grateful for your opportunities. “
Resources Mentioned:
Barbie’s Instagram
B Digital
Hustle Inspires Hustle Podcast
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